Paper dispenser



April 24, 1951 E. S. TUTTLE PAPER DISPENSER 2 Sheefs-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1949 /NVN7'0R fan/A20 5. 77/7715.

ATTORNEY;

April24, 1951 E. s. TUTTLE 2,550,209

PAPER DISPENSER Filed Jan. 22, 1 949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mfm 4 TTOF/VEr-J' I Patented Apr. 24, 1951 PAPER DISPENSER Edward S. Tuttle, South Bend, Ind., assignor to Harvell Manufacturing Corporation, La Porte, IndL, a corporation of Indiana Application January 22, 1949, Serial No. 72,235

4 Claims.

. l V This invention relates to improvements in paper dispensers, and particularly to a dispenser in which one or more rolls of paper may be mounted, from which sheet portions can be unrolled and torn or separated from the roll.

. The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple in construction, inexpensive, easy to install and use, and attractive in appearance.

A further object is to provide a device of this character constituting a housing having a pivoted closure upon. which one or more sets of paper roll supporting brackets are secured, and within which closure panel are formed paper withdrawal slots so that the device may be loaded with paper rolls while the closure is open by mounting the paper rolls upon the bracket and threading the end of the paper web through the adjacent slot, whereupon the closure can be closed and the rolls will remain in their proper relation and the web will remain in desired threaded position accessible for use. v

A further object is to provide a device of this character having a housing open at its front and spanned by a closure pivoted at its lower end portion to the housing, wherein the closure includes an inclined portion spaced above its pivot andyprovided with a pair of spaced transverse slots and also mounts novel roll-supporting brackets above and projecting rearwardly relative to its pivot, whereby rolls of paper supported on said brackets will hold said closure in operative closed position.

A further object is to provide a device of this character with a novel paper guide and tear slot construction so formed in a freely pivoted closure that all stresses exerted upon the device in tearing a strip of paper act in a direction tending to' maintain the closure in closed position, that the end portion of the web which remains connected with the roll will be confined by the guide ina concealed and protected position adjacent to the slot, and that a finger opening is provided for quick inward manual engagement and manipulation of the web at the end of theroll to advance it to a position at which it can be grasped and pulled.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the device with parts broken away.

7 Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 3 and illustrating the device in its loaded position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 4, illustrating the device empty and in condition adapted to be displayed for sale.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the device in its fully opened position preparatory for loading.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view of the device shown in'its open position.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral Ill designates the stationary part of a housing, and the numeral I2 is the movable part of a housing. The stationary part In is composed of a back panel l4 and a pair of upright end panels I6. The bottom of the casing is opened and a reinforcing flange 18 may extend forwardly and inwardly from the back panel at its lower edge. Similarly, a forwardly inwardly extending reinforcing panel 20 may project forwardly from the upper edge of the back panel M. The end walls [6 are of tapered form at their upper portions, as best seen in Figs. 1 to 3, and are preferably of the same size and shape. The housing part [0 is preferably formed of sheet metal, and suitable openings may be formed in its rear wall I 4 adapted to receive securing members by which it may be attached or mounted upon a support. Alternatively, the casing may rest upon a horizontal supporting surface, such as a table, without being connected to any supporting member. r

The closure I2 constitutes alower panel 22, an

upwardly rearwardly inclined panel 24, and a top panel 26. The panels are of a length to span the space between the end walls l6 of the stationary housing part l0, and the angular relation thereof preferably conforms to the angular relation of the front and top edges of the end walls l6 so that said closure panel may bear fiat against the front and top edges of said end walls. Marginal flanges 28 project rearwardly or inwardly from the closure at its ends and are adapted to lie alongside and parallel to the end walls l6. At the lower end of each of the flanges 28 is positioned a pivot pin 30 extending through said flange 28 and the adjacent end wall H5 at the lower front corner of that end wall. The pivot members 30 may constitute pins, bolts or rivets and are disposed in axial alignment to permit free swinging of the closure unit I2 from the position illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 to the position illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. It will be apparent that the closure I2 will open freely by a forward downward swinging movement about the pivot axis 30 when it is mounted upon a support or when it rests upon a horizontal surface.

to its ends, as best seen in Fig. 4.. The inner end 7 portion 35 of each bracket 32 is preferably enlarged and a circular inwardly projecting offset- 38 is formed therein whose center is preferably positioned substantially equally spaced from the rear wall It and the closure panel 22when the device is in its closed position, as illustrated .in Figs. 2 and 3. The hub. or offset members 38 of the two brackets 32 are arranged in axial alignment and spaced apart a distance slightly less than the length of a paper roll 40 which preferablyis'of the type such as paper toweling rolled upon' a tubular core 42, and the hubs 38 are preferably of a size to fit snugly within said paper core 32 at its opposite ends.

A second set of brackets is preferably provided in the device the same comprising two or more sheet metal members bent to form cradles supporting the opposite ends of a second roll of paper. As best illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, this second bracket includes an end portion 44 which is welded or otherwise secured to the inclined panel 2 1 of the closure intermediate the height and adjacent to the ends thereof. The brackets are bent rearwardly and inwardly from the portion 45 to define a portion 46. From the inner end of the portion 46, each bracket is bent into downwardly and inwardly inclined position at a portion 38, the portion 48 preferably extending at an angle of substantially 45 degrees to the horizontal in the closed position of the device. A substantially horizontal web 50 projects from the lower end of the inclined portion 43, and the bracket terminates in an upwardly and rear- Wardly inclined portion 52 which is disposed at substantially 45 degrees to the horizontal and substantially at right angles to the portion 48 with which it cooperates to provide a substan-, tially V-shaped cradle to receive and rotatably support an end of a second roll of paper 54, such as a roll of wax paper, in spaced relation above inwardly to an upwardly and rearwardly inclined position, .best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. At the center of the closure an opening 62 is formed therein,th'e same interrupting the flange 60 and preferably projecting into the'panel portion 22 and being. of a size large enough to permit the 'fi gr of a user to be inserted therein. A paper guide comprising an elongated strip or' plate of metal 54 has its end portions 66 welded or other- ,wise secured to the panel portion 24 of the closure, and. its intermediate portion 68 is rearwardly or'inwar'dly offset from its ends to define,

in combination with the portion of the panel 24 above the slit 56, a chute or passage for a web of paper preferably forming a part of the roll 40. The offset portion 68 preferably extends in a plane at an angle to the panel 24, and its lower edge preferably substantially abuts or engages the upper edge of the flange 60. The upper edge portion of the part 68 'is spaced from the panel 24 a greater distance than the lower portion thereof and is provided with a transverse rearwardly and downwardly return bent flange 10 bent in a curve of short radius and defining a bearing or guide surface around which the web of paper may pass from the roll 49 to the discharge slot therebel'ow. At its lower central portion the offset 68 is notched at 12 in register with the opening 62 formed below the slot. In spaced relation. above the slot above described is formed a similar slot and paper guide adapted for discharge of paper from the roll 54, the parts of which bear the same reference numerals as the parts described above. The upper slot is preferably located slightly above the upper end of the parts 44 of the brackets which support the upper roll 54.

The device is illustrated in itsoperative closed position and empty in Fig. 3. When it is desired to load the device, the closure panel I2 is lowered to the position illustrated in- Figs. 4 and 5. When in this position, it will be apparent that the brackets 3-2 and 38; and 4'4 and 52, are spaced forwardly from the stationary part of the housing it to be fully accessible for convenient mounting of the paper rolls 40 and 54 thereon. The roll 40 is mounted upon its supporting brackets by flexing said brackets outwardly sufficient to pass the rolltherebetween for registration and axial alignment of its core tube '42 with the offset hubs 38 and, upon positioning of said parts in register, the brackets may swing inwardly to effectively hold the roll 40 in desired position. The free end of the paper web from the roll 40 can then easily be passed between the lower paper guide 58" and closure panel portion 24' and shifted to' a position where its free forward edge either projects through the discharge slot or maybe reached by a finger inserted through the opening E2 in the closure and 12 inthe paper guide.

If a second roll of paper 5t is to be inserted in the device, such asaroll of wax paper, the same is inserted in position between the bracket +52 and the top wall 26 of the closure, and the free end of the roll is inserted between the upper paper guide and the panel wall 2 With its free edge adjacent. to the discharge slot. By the above described simple manipulations which can beaccomplished easily because of the accessibility of'the brackets and the spacing thereof from the remainder ofthe housing in the position of the parts shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the device can be loaded and conditioned for use easily and quickly. After it is so loaded, the panel 12 is pivoted to the position shown in Fig. 1, during which movement the paper rolls 48' and 54 are held substantially without movement by their respective moimting'brackets so that the free ends or webs thereof remain at or adjacent to the slots and readily accessible for use. In other words, all of the paper threading operation can be performed while the device is in its Fig, 5 position, and any shifting of the paper 'rolls which occurs incident to the swinging of the front closure panel to operative position is not sufficient to displace said" rolls or to necessitate any further threading manipulation of the-paper with respect to the discharge slot after the devicehas; been closed. In the operative position t e ck s ho t e o, pa erv rolls with their centers ofmass located in vertical planes spaced .rearwardlyfrom the vertical plane within which the axis of rotation of the closure l2 lies. Consequently, the weight of the paper rolls, in addition to the shape of the closure, servesto hold e; l sure i defied pps ti el i fi use} When it is desired to remove a panel or sheet of paper from either roll, theend of the sheet can :be: pulled upon to discharge a portiorrof the size desiredi-fand. thereuponyby. a simple; upwardly directed movement, the sheet can be forced against the top edge of the slot at 56 to be severed from the remainder of the paper upon the roll. The severing of the paper in this manner leaves the new outer edge of the web upon the roll entirely within-the confines of the casing but adjacent to the discharge slot. In other'words, the paper is concealed within the casing and protected by the casing so that accidental pulling of the paper or freeing of the end of the paper is avoided in the event the user should brush against or touch the container. At the same time, the end of the paper is fully accessible by the simple operation of inserting a finger through the fingeropening 62 and through the notch I2 in the paper guide which enables the user to press the end of the paper against the front wall 24 and then to urge the same out through the slot by a downward movement, which movement will shift the web sufiiciently to permit the free margin of the paper to be gripped between the fingers and then pulled in a downward and outward movement until the desired amount of paper has been withdrawn from the casing, whereupon that amount of paper is separated from the web by the tearing and severing action described above. The location of the rolls spaced rearwardly with respect to the pivot axis holds the closure in its operative closed position while the web is pulled out to discharge the paper. Any stresses exerted during the cutting or shearing operation are directed upwardly and away from the pivot axis and do not have any tendency to cause the closure to open.

In the case of the upper roll 54, the same is preferably supported upon the bracket so that its free end passes in an upward direction from 'rotated counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 2.

This rotative movement, coupled with the freedom of the roll 54 in its cradle, may tend to cause the roll to move rearwardly and upwardly upon the rear portion 52 of the bracket, and for this purpose the bracket portion 52 preferably extends to a higher level than the front wall portion 48, as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, in which it will be seen that the end of the bracket terminates adjacent to the rear wall and thus positively assures against any rolling movement of the roll 54 which would release it from its supporting brackets.

The construction of the device enables it to be provided with a display for advertising pur- I and easily and .are

6 V thel'pap'eruguide 68 and the front panel of the closure. and whose lower end bears against and is supported by the flange 60. The members and 82 may bemounted uponthe device simply readily detachable or removable. :p 7

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein,

it will be "understood that changes may be made in the construction within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention. a

Iclaim: 7 .i

1. A paper dispenser comprising a housing open at its front, a rigid closure spanning said front opening and pivoted at its lower end to said housing on an axis located at the lower front portion of the housing, said closure having a transverse slot therein spaced above said pivot, and a pair of brackets carried by said closure and adapted to support a paper roll adjacent said slot with its center of gravity located in a vertical transverse plane spaced rearwardly from the vertical transverse plane in which said pivot axis lies, and a guide plate secured to said 010- sure and rearwardly offset therefrom to substantially span said slot. 7

2. A paper dispenser comprising a housing open at its front, a rigid closure spanning said front opening and pivoted at its lower end to said housing on an axis located at the lower front portion of the housing, said closure having a transverse slot therein spaced above said pivot, and a pair of brackets carried by said closure and adapted to support a paper roll adjacent said slot with its center of gravity located in a vertical transverse plane spaced rearwardly from the vertical transverse plane in which said pivot axis lies, and a guide plate secured to said closure and rearwardly offset therefrom to substantially span said slot, said guide plate including a rearwardly and downwardly return bent flange at its upper margin.

3. A paper dispenser comprising a housing open at its front, a rigid closure spanning said front opening and pivoted at its lower end to said housing on an axis located at the lower front portion of the housing, said closure having a transverse slot therein spaced above said pivot, and a pair of brackets carried bysaid closure and adapted to support a paper roll adjacent said slot with its center of gravity located in a vertical transverse plane spaced rearwardly from the vertical transverse plane in which said pivot axis lies, and a guide plate secured to said closure and rearwardly offset therefrom to substantially span said slot, and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined flange formed integrally with said panel and defining the lower portion of said slot, the upper edge of said flange extending adjacent to the lower edge of said guide plate.

4. A paper dispenser comprising a housing open at its front, a rigid closure spanning said front openingand pivoted at its lower end to said housing on an axis located at the lower front portion of the housing, said closure having a transverse slot therein spaced above said pivot, and a pair of brackets carried by said closure and adapted to support a paper roll adjacent said slot with its center of gravity located in a vertical transverse plane spaced rearwardly from the vertical transverse plane in which said pivot 7 wardiy 'ofiset fromsaid closure and substantially spanning said' slot with its lower edge terminating adjacent to the upperedge of said flange, said. closure andflange having a finger-receiving opening below and communicating with said slot '5 and said guide plate having a notch registering with said finger-receiving opening.

EDWARD S.

REFERENCES v CITED The following references are of reeord in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Zanetti Nov. 4, 1879 -Wheeler June 16, 1891 Gluck July 25, 1933 Denebeim Feb. 18, 1936 Steiner Aug. 2, 1938 Krueger June 22, 1943 Me11 Sept. 20', 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Sweden. Mar. 11, 1941 

